Overview

• The opener starts at 8:30 PM IST at Sharjah Cricket Stadium with live streaming on Fancode and Eurosport, and no television broadcast in India.
• ICC T20I rankings place Pakistan eighth and Afghanistan ninth, with India first overall and the UAE the lowest-ranked team in the field.
• Previews point to hot, dry, spin-friendly conditions in Sharjah with temperatures near 41°C and a first-innings target of roughly 170–180 viewed as competitive.
• Pakistan lead the T20I head-to-head 4–3 across seven meetings, while Afghanistan have won three of the past five encounters.
• Squads and probable XIs are published with Rashid Khan captaining Afghanistan and Salman Ali Agha leading Pakistan, as Pakistan arrive after a 2–1 T20I series win over the West Indies and Afghanistan play their first T20Is since December 2024.